ℋ𝒾𝒹𝒹𝑒𝓃 𝒫𝒾𝑒𝒸𝑒𝓈

❝𝐦𝐢𝐝𝐧𝐢𝐠𝐡𝐭❞

In the Forger household, night was an oasis of calm, the furthest outpost of tranquility. But on this particular night, the gentle hum of silence was broken by the faintest sounds. 

Loid Forger, Father to Olivia, a shining 16 year-old with flaming pink hair and sapphire blue eyes, and to his trouble making 6-year-old gremlin, Anya, a girl with the same pink hair and sparkling green eyes, was a fan of these quiet nights. 

However, tonight, his trained ears picked up a suspicious rustling. Looking at the clock, it was a bit past midnight. Knowing that both his daughters were supposed to be fast asleep at this hour, Loid decided to investigate. 

Silently, he crept to the source of the noise—the kitchen.

The sight that greeted him was both amusing and endearing. In the semi-darkness, illuminated by the moon rays slicing through the window, the two sisters sat huddled before the open refrigerator.

In her soft peanut themed pajamas, Anya was like a small, plush toy, her wide green eyes gleaming with mischief. Olivia, taller, her blue eyes reflecting the sparse light, was decked out in pink cat pajamas and held a jar of chocolate spread in one hand and a spoon in the other.

"What on earth are you two up to at this hour?" Loid asked, stepping into the room.

Busted! 

The daughters looked comically startled, Olivia dropping her spoon with a clatter, Anya clutching the handle of the fridge door like a lifebuoy.

"Dad... Dad... We were just..." Olivia stammered, blushing in embarrassment. Anya, on the other hand, her childish defiance overcoming her fear, said, "We were hungry, Papa!"

"Hungry?" 

Loid feigned surprise, blinking his eyes. He flipped on the lights, revealing a veritable feast spread out on the kitchen table. Pastries, peanuts, cookies, two bowls of ice cream, and countless other snacks that were previously hidden away in various corners of the kitchen.

"Sneaky snack party, hmmm?" Loid raised an eyebrow, suppressing a chuckle. He knew kids could be nocturnal beings. 

The fact that they had been so creative in waiting until he had fallen asleep to turn the kitchen table into a cornucopia was testament to their resourcefulness.

"We can explain, Dad!" Olivia started, her voice a mixture of embarrassment and attempted bravery. But Anya, unabashed, interjected, "Yeah, it's a party! You can join!" 

She proceeded to dig one hand into a bag of jellybeans, the ones Loid had bought recently and had specifically told the girls to consume sparingly.

Loid sighed, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. Instead of reprimanding the girls further, he decided to teach them a lesson in a different way. They -more so Anya- needed to understand why they needed sleep and why breaking rules wasn't acceptable. 

Not to mention, snacking at ungodly hours could lead to bad dietary habits.

"Alright, let's make a deal," he rolled up his sleeves and dragged a chair towards the table, "You two will listen to a brief family night's lesson about good habits. After that, for tonight only, you will be allowed to finish your... midnight snacking. How does that sound?"

Both of the girls looked at each other, their expressions showing relief. Anya jumped in her seat and gave a thumbs-up, "Deal!". Olivia, more cautious, bit her lip in thought and nodded.

Afterward Loid explained the importance of regular meals, not snacking late, and getting a healthy amount of sleep, they all sat down and enjoyed the late-night feast. They even made their father promise not to tell Yor. Knowing her she'd make a huge fuss about it.

Thus, this peculiar night faded into the linings of their memory as a beautiful constellation of family love, discussions, lessons, and midnight feasting. Anya and Olivia, though quite mischievous, were also smart enough to understand their father's words. 

They promised not to repeat their midnight raid. As for Loid, he had seen yet another lively, lovely side of his daughters and realized that parenity is a complex blend of discipline, laughter, patience, and above all, love.

And so, as the night dug deeper into the crevices of tranquility, the Forger household once again slipped into blissful silence, their hearts filled with the unique warmth that comes with midnight mischief, sneaky snacks, and family love.

Long after the party, when the girls were fast asleep, Loid stood in the kitchen, smiling to himself as he cleaned up the remains of the party. 'It was indeed a beautiful night,' he thought, washing the last dish. 

And being the sensible man he was, he knew to keep a record of such a night in the midnight diary he shared with his daughters. Yes, they had a midnight diary, a diary for nights, when rules were slightly bent, love was doubled, and memories were created.

As the stillness of the night resettled with a satisfying sigh, somewhere in the hushed whispers of the Forger house, the echoes of laughter and chatters from the expired night were still cheering, 'for the nights that doubled as days.'

________

[EDITED]